As Congress remains at an impasse on an agreement to fund government operations, several sites under the National Park Service (NPS) have brought their operations to a halt.
Why now: Across the country, parks have been forced to close, operate under reduced staffing or rely on outside donations to keep the lights on as the shutdown continues.
Why it matters: The lack of a unified plan across all parks and sparse details outlined by official government resources has sparked confusion about which places parkgoers can visit or if the shutdown has caused sites to temporarily shutter their services.
As Congress remains at an impasse on an agreement to fund government operations, several sites under the National Park Service (NPS) have brought their operations to a halt.
Across the country, parks have been forced to close, operate under reduced staffing or rely on outside donations to keep the lights on as the shutdown continues.
The lack of a unified plan across all parks and sparse details outlined by official government resources has sparked confusion about which places parkgoers can visit or if the shutdown has caused sites to temporarily shutter their services.
"National parks remain as accessible as possible during the federal government shutdown," a notice on the NPS website reads.
"However, some services may be limited or unavailable," it continues, with a link directing readers to a site with contingency plans outlining how funds would be appropriated during the shutdown.
A contingency plan for the NPS says that park roads, lookouts and trails "will generally remain accessible to visitors" for the duration of the shutdown, but other services such as regular road and trail condition updates would not be provided.
"As part of their orderly shutdown activities, park staff will post signs notifying visitors that only basic or no visitor services, maintenance, or other management activities will be conducted, and emergency services will be limited," according to the plan.
At some park locations that collect fees, the memo stipulates that basic services can be provided such as those that maintain restrooms, collect trash and road maintenance.
But at some closed park locations, services will be stripped to the bone, including no trash collection, restrooms, road or walkway maintenance or visitor information.
NPR reached out to the NPS on Saturday for comment but has not received a response.
States step in and donations for some relief
Several states have taken it into their own hands to see to it that their parks remain open during the federal funding spat, either directly funding the sites themselves or collecting third-party relief to help keep the doors open.
According to National Parks Traveler, parks in states including West Virginia, Utah and Hawaii, have managed to secure funds and donations necessary to keep operations temporarily rolling.
Visitors in other states have not been so lucky.
Kathy Ten Eyck flew from Utica, New York into New Mexico to visit the glistening dunes of White Sands National Park. Instead, she was met with a notice of closure.
"I just couldn't wait — could not wait to — get here," Ten Eyck said. "We stopped at the [PistachioLand] right up the street there, and that's where we heard that it was closed."
Kathy Theriot was similarly heartbroken outside of the New Mexico Park. She had driven her children more than five hours from their home in Taos and hoped that they could experience the white sands she remembered from her childhood.
"I've been waiting 10 years to show my kids White Sands and the day we come it's closed, which is very disappointing," Theriot said.
"But it is really, really sad though that we get to the side of the road to enjoy part of our country because our elected officials can't get along."
Vandalism and safety concerns
In this Jan. 10, 2019 file photo people visit Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California's Mojave Desert.
(
Jae C. Hong
/
AP
)
Concerns have also been raised about the safety and responsibility of keeping parks open without having a robust number of employees available to conduct critical services.
Some of Texas' famed national parks, such as Big Bend and Padre Island National Seashore, will remain open during this time but may have limited staffing, according to Texas Public Radio (TPR).
A previous government shutdown, TPR reported, saw an ancient rock at Big Bend vandalized amid the lack of staffing.
Those concerns have caused some park advocates to recommend all parks with a reduction in force be closed until federal funding is sorted.
"Keeping our national parks open after Trump and Republicans forced a government shutdown is stupid, short-sighted and incredibly dangerous," said Stephanie Kurose, deputy director of government affairs at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a statement.
"We've seen the irreparable harm that can happen when our parks go understaffed. Vandalism, trash and human waste will tarnish natural treasures that are the envy of the world. But apparently nothing says 'Make America Great Again' like turning Yosemite into one giant toilet."
During the last government shutdown, which began in December 2018 during Trump's previous administration and lasted a record 35 days, several of America's beloved national parks reported significant damage, including California's Joshua Tree National Park, which saw trees cut down and new roads illegally dug in.
The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has also called for parks to be closed, citing past problems during government shutdowns that led to vandalism, sanitation issues and ecological harm.
"The government has shut down, and the administration is once again putting our national parks and visitors at risk, effectively directing staff to open park gates and walk away," NPCA president and CEO Theresa Pierno said in a statement. "It's not just irresponsible, it's dangerous."
NPR's Ava Pukatch contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 NPR
A general view of the Olympic flame in the Olympic cauldron designed by Marco Balich next to the Arco della Pace monument in Milan.
(
Julien De Rosa
/
Getty Images
)
Topline:
The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics kicked off in Milan on Friday evening, local time. Athletes representing over 90 countries march into the San Siro stadium filled with thousands of spectators during the opening ceremony in Milan.
Read on ... to see photos from the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony.
The 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics kicked off in Milan on Friday evening, local time. Athletes representing over 90 countries march into the San Siro stadium filled with thousands of spectators during the opening ceremony in Milan.
The performance paid homage to Italian music, art and culture with tributes to composers, visual artists and films in a colorful spectacle. Performers included Italian actress Matilda De Angelis, American singer Mariah Carey, Italian singer Andrea Bocelli, Italian rapper Ghali and Italian ballet dancers Antonella Albano and Claudio Coviello, among dozens of other dancers.
Here is a selection of images from the opening ceremony:
Italian ballet dancers Antonella Albano and Claudio Coviello perform during the opening ceremony.
(
Wang Zhao
/
Getty Images
)
Colorful dancers perform under large tubes of paint suspended above them during the opening ceremony.
(
Gabriel Bouys
/
Getty Images
)
Italian actress Matilda De Angelis (center) performs with dancers dressed as the three great masters of Italian opera: Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini and Gioachino Rossini.
(
Piero Cruciatti
/
Getty Images
)
Mariah Carey sings during the opening ceremony.
(
Wang Zhao
/
Getty Images
)
Performers dressed in the colors of the Italian flag line up during the opening ceremony.
(
Piero Cruciatti
/
Getty Images
)
Members of The Corazzieri, the Italian Corps of Cuirassiers, raise the Italian flag during the opening ceremony.
(
Wang Zhao
/
Getty Images
)
Two performers are suspended between two large rings.
(
Piero Cruciatti
/
Getty Images
)
The Olympic Rings are revealed above dancers during the opening ceremony.
(
Piero Cruciatti
/
Getty Images
)
An aerial view of the athletes parading into the San Siro stadium.
(
Antonin Thuillier
/
Getty Images
)
Stoats Milo and Tina, the Paralympics and Olympics mascots, dance before the Olympic opening ceremony.
Casey Wasserman, chairman of the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games spoke during an IOC meeting ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, on Tuesday. Wasserman faces calls to step down after it was revealed that he exchanged emails with Epstein collaborator Ghislaine Maxwell.
(
Luca Bruno
/
AP
)
Topline:
During the first days of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games, the long shadows of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell spread to touch the Olympic movement. While in Milan, one of the top organizers of the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games faced calls to step aside after his emails turned up in the latest tranche of Epstein documents released by the U.S. Justice Department.
The backstory: There's no indication of criminal wrongdoing in the emails, which were sent more than twenty years ago. But for a prominent figure like Wasserman, who heads an influential sports and entertainment agency, any association with the pair is fraught.
Read on ... for more on how the latest release of documents is casting a pall over the Olympic Games.
MILAN — During the first days of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games, the long shadows of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell spread to touch the Olympic movement.
While in Milan, one of the top organizers of the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games faced calls to step aside after his emails turned up in the latest tranche of Epstein documents released by the U.S. Justice Department.
"I will be in nyc for four days starting April 22...can we book that massage now," wrote Casey Wasserman in an email to Maxwell in the spring of 2003. A few days later, Wasserman said, "The only thing I want from Paris is you."
There's no indication of criminal wrongdoing in the emails, which were sent more than twenty years ago. But for a prominent figure like Wasserman, who heads an influential sports and entertainment agency, any association with the pair is fraught.
Wasserman has kept a low profile since news of his emails broke. He appeared publicly this week at a gathering of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Milan, where he touted progress developing the L.A. Games but didn't take questions from reporters.
In a statement, Wasserman said he never had "a personal or business relationship with Jeffrey Epstein" and he apologized for his flirtatious exchanges with Maxwell. "I am terribly sorry for having any association with either of them."
That hasn't quelled the controversy. A growing number of political leaders in L.A. have called for Wasserman to step down from his role as one of the leading public faces of the next Summer Games.
"Casey Wasserman should step aside immediately," L.A. City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez said in a statement sent to LAist. "Anything less is a distraction and undermines efforts to make sure the Games truly reflect the values of a city that is for everyone."
L.A. city controller Kennith Mejia, who monitors the city's finances, said on social media that "Los Angeles cannot trust our financial future to someone connected with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell." Mejia added that "Wasserman must take accountability and resign."
Questions of Wasserman's future keep surfacing in Milan as the first sports competitions get underway. IOC chair Kirsty Coventry acknowledged at a press conference Thursday that she's been asked repeatedly about the scandal.
"Casey has put out a statement. I have nothing further to add on that," she said. Asked about the fact that Wasserman hasn't spoken directly with journalists, Coventry said, "I'll have them come find you guys and have a little chit-chat."
The head of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Gene Sykes, also faced repeated questions about the matter in Milan on Thursday.
"Casey's made a statement that reflects the perspective he has on what came to light, when the emails were released, with the rest of the Epstein file," Sykes told reporters. "We have nothing to add to that, his statement stands on its own."
Sykes went on to voice confidence in Wasserman's leadership. "I have more confidence today in L.A. 28's operational capabilities, its leadership, the quality of what its doing and how well they're executing than I've had at any point of time," he said, pointing to the L.A. bid's strong fundraising.
A long list of corporate executives, academic leaders, physicians, scientists, politicians, members of European royalty, and others, have been caught up in the Epstein scandal. A growing number of them have resigned, been fired, or been forced to step back from public life.
Keep up with LAist.
If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.
Actors Matthew McConaughey and Bradley Cooper appear in an Uber Eats ad linking football to a humorous food sales conspiracy.
(
Uber Eats
/
Screenshot by NPR
)
Topline:
A dive into the raft of ads airing in the Big Game that were released early, aimed at rocketing around social media to build buzz before their debut Sunday, revealed the typical mix of celebrities, nostalgia, special effects and bold humor we see every year.
What's new: New in the mix: A few efforts encouraging fans to build their own Super Bowl commercials, including an option from Uber Eats allowing users to make 1,000 versions of celebrity-filled ads and a contest sponsored by Artlist.io, an AI platform for video creation, offering $60,000 for the best subscriber-created spot.
Read on ... to take a look at some of this year's biggest ads.
If you're wondering whether it is truly worth the $8 million to $10 million cost per 30 seconds to air a commercial during the Super Bowl, just ask the creative minds behind the pro-Jesus advertising campaign "He Gets Us."
According to Come Near, the group managing the "He Gets Us" campaign, after airing commercials in three previous Super Bowls, they have seen nearly 10 billion video views, more than 70 million visitors to their website HeGetsUs.com and an awareness of the campaign so high that 40% of adults in the U.S. now know about He Gets Us.
And they expect that awareness to only expand with their fourth Super Bowl ad this Sunday titled "More," focused on the pressures many feel in modern society to pursue more of everything.
"There's not a lot of moments like this. … We're looking for moments where people really congregate," says Simon Armour, chief creative officer for Come Near, which has crafted the "More" ad as part of a campaign called "Loaded Words." "We're constantly asking, 'Are we really meeting people where they're at?'"
Offering a distinctly non-commercial message in the middle of the world's biggest advertising showcase is certainly one way to stand out. But that's only one of the many messages featured in an event that set a record last year — and the year before — as the most watched single telecast in U.S. history.
A dive into the raft of ads airing in the Big Game that were released early, aimed at rocketing around social media to build buzz before their debut Sunday, revealed the typical mix of celebrities, nostalgia, special effects and bold humor we see every year.
New in the mix: A few efforts encouraging fans to build their own Super Bowl commercials, including an option from Uber Eats allowing users to make 1,000 versions of celebrity-filled ads and a contest sponsored by Artlist.io, an AI platform for video creation, offering $60,000 for the best subscriber-created spot.
And, as we have seen in recent years, there's a decided lack of commercials offering any kind of sharp social message. At a time when America seems more divided than ever, most advertisers don't seem keen on spending millions to address the social or political issues of the day.
Of course, the most impressive messages may not surface until the Big Game itself. But here's a look at some of the most interesting commercials unveiled in advance, offering a look at the bold swings marketers are about to take on the biggest stage in media.
Best use of a self-deprecating celebrity, Part 1: Raisin Bran's 'Will Shat'
YouTube
One of the coolest things in modern pop culture has been to watch Star Trek icon William Shatner morph from an overacting, self-serious stick in the mud into a goofy celebrity who begrudgingly accepts that it's better to play along with his peculiar kind of fame rather than resist it. The 94-year-old comes full circle with this ad for Raisin Bran that deftly spoofs both the result of eating all that fiber, Shatner's roots in science fiction and the scatological word game people likely have played with his last name for eons, introducing him in the commercial as a character named Will Shat. My favorite moment: when he looks over at a pet and asks, "Is that dog a Shih Tzu?" As a bonus, the Shat-man even made news in real life, when paparazzi thought he was eating a bowl of cereal while driving (he was actually posing for a photo shoot.)
Most touching reference to Big Brother: Ring's 'Search Party: Be a Hero'
YouTube
Tell people that video doorbell company Ring can remotely link a bunch of cameras to look for something, and many may wonder if they've stumbled into a George Orwell novel. But show people how Ring cameras can be tasked to help find some of the 10 million dogs who go missing every year — using its new, free Search Party feature — and you have a teary, sentimental spot for the Big Game that pulls on the heartstrings while downplaying any concerns about Big Brother invading their privacy (fear not, Search Party is a program you have to opt into).
Best argument to Hollywood for using AI: Xfinity's 'Jurassic Park … Works'
YouTube
Cool as it is to suggest that one tech geek from Xfinity could have kept all the dinosaurs from escaping Jurassic Park, the telecommunication company went one better in this ad – basically showing the potential for de-aging and computerized imagery in film by creating new scenes for the 1993 movie featuring stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum. In Xfinity's new spot, they're jogging with herds of dinosaurs and posing for pictures with a T. rex instead of running for their lives. Of course, a happy ending invalidates the film's whole "egotistical man shouldn't meddle with natural ecosystems he doesn't understand" message. But it will probably sell an awful lot of Wi-Fi service.
Best use of a self-deprecating celebrity, Part 2: TurboTax's 'The Expert'
YouTube
Adrien's Brody's over the top antics while portraying a TurboTax expert – despite the company's insistence that the program helps keep taxes "drama free" — is a delicious send-up of his own self-serious reputation. (My fave moment is when he screeches "If there's no drama, then there's no Adrien Brody!") It's almost enough to make you forget the record-setting arrogance of his way-too-long best actor acceptance speech at last year's Oscars ceremony. Almost.
Best headfake around men's silly sensibilities: Novartis' 'Relax Your Tight End'
YouTube
What's the best way to let men know there's now a less, um, invasive way of checking for prostate cancer than the old school finger method? This commercial, featuring football heroes like former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians urges men to relax their tight end — complete with shots that seem to depict that relaxation — thanks to the invention of a blood test to check for early signs. It's all a bit of cheeky good fun — OK, I couldn't resist that one — aimed at getting men to get over their hangups and get tested regularly for a disease that has an impressive survival rate if caught early.
Best use of class warfare: Hims & Hers' 'Rich People Live Longer'
YouTube
Fresh off a controversy from last year, which found the telehealth company criticized for not being fully transparent about the side effects of its weight loss drugs, Hims & Hers is back with a spot that declares "the wealth gap is a health gap." Rapper and actor Common provides the voice-over for this spot, which shows wealthy people accessing all kinds of treatments and preventive care as the narration notes, "all that money doesn't just buy more stuff — it buys more time." Watching a big corporation spend millions pitching its products as an affordable way to bridge that gap, at a time when medical expenses are one of the leading causes of bankruptcy in the U.S., feels a little odd. But it's also a stroke of genius.
Best parody of a competitor: Pepsi's 'The Choice'
YouTube
This spot, starting with a computer-generated polar bear getting confused after picking Pepsi over Coca-Cola in a blindfolded taste test, works in all kinds of ways. It pokes at Coke's longtime use of computerized bears in its own Big Game ads back in the day while indulging a bit of nostalgia. Extra points for a moment later in the ad that references the infamous Coldplay kiss cam incident and a cool cameo from impish director Taika Waititi.
Most questionable joke: DoorDash's 'Beef 101'
YouTube
In the ad, 50 Cent presents the latest iteration of his beef with Sean "P Diddy/Puff Daddy" Combs as an epic exercise in tongue-in-cheek trolling. He reaches into a DoorDash pouch to pull out a bag of Cheesy Puffs, a pack of combs and a bottle of cognac he says is "aged four years … or 50 months. Who's keeping count?" But I bet Combs, now sitting in federal prison after his conviction on prostitution-related charges, surely is. And those who recall the allegations of sex crimes and abuse which surrounded the Combs trial, might not find a commercial seeking laughs by referencing that traumatic situation to be much fun at all.
Most shameless pandering to bro culture: Bud Light's 'Keg'
YouTube
Football legend Peyton Manning, comic Shane Gillis and musician Post Malone seem mostly wasted in a nonsensical ad featuring an entire wedding party tumbling down a steep hill in pursuit of a single keg that fell off a dolly. Gillis gets the punchline, turning to the camera to say, "I give it a week," presumably in reference to the wedding. I'm betting most viewers forget about this uninspired ad even quicker.
Best use of a conspiracy theory I might actually believe: Uber Eats: 'Hungry for the Truth'
YouTube
This spot continues the concept Uber Eats floated in last year's Super Bowl ad, featuring Matthew McConaughey insisting the NFL organized this whole professional football thing as a ruse to sell more food. This time, he's torturing poor fellow movie star hunk Bradley Cooper — who mostly looks like he just wants to be seen wearing gear featuring his beloved Philadelphia Eagles — pointing out all the NFL players named after food. But when he shows Cooper that the NFL Hall of Fame building looks just like a juicer — gotta say, I was nearly convinced.
Fiona Ng
is LAist's deputy managing editor and leads a team of reporters who explore food, culture, history, events and more.
Published February 7, 2026 8:46 AM
Three people are dead and several others are injured after a woman crashed her car into a 99 Ranch Market in Westwood.
(
Courtesy CBS L.A.
)
Topline:
Authorities have released the identities of two of the three people killed in Thursday's car crash into a 99 Ranch supermarket in Westwood. One of the deceased is 42-year-old woman Deris Renoj. The other is Zih Dao, a 28-year-old man.
Two of the victims are employees at the Chinese super market, while the third is a customer. Authorities did not release additional details associated with the two names.
The backstory: The deadly crash happened around noon Thursday, when a sedan driven by a 92-year-old woman rammed into the grocery store on Westwood Boulevard after hitting a bicyclist and losing control of the car. Additional people were injured.
